Shouldice Hospital

Strongly consider coming to Shouldice for hernia repairs. Was out cold for the surgery and the stay was very nice. Bring a warm blanket as you may be sharing a room with somebody else and can not get the perfect room temperature.

The food they serve you makes me want to stay beyond my expected stay. They are so good, with full service breakfast, lunch, dinner, and self service night time snack. Feels almost like dining at a high end diner.

Lots of plants around the hospital, making your walks much more pleasant and providing clean air for you to breathe. All the staff are very nice from start to end, even in-between.

Will absolutely return to Shouldice if needed.

Today, I returned home after a 3 day stay having hernia surgery at Shouldice Hospital in the GTA—the only hospital in the world specializing solely in hernia surgery. The rumour has that people from all over, including celebrities like Bruce Willis and Elton John, come here for treatment. If you need hernia surgery, I highly recommend Shouldice. It may sound like a stretch, but the experience was akin to staying at a resort without the beach. The ambiance, food, staff, and overall atmosphere were truly exceptional.

The hospital is a smooth running machine..the level of care is the best. All the staff from office, kitchen, maintenance , nursing, personal service workers, doctors are 5 star..it is well worth the trip to get your surgery there. Both women and men there of all ages as patients..hopefully I never have another hernia but I would return there without a doubt..and I was just released today..my surgeon was from Medellin Colombia and was fantastic ..the nursing staff in the OR fantastic..the floor nurses fantastic.. the food services staff fantastic..you eat the highest quality of food there served by great folk..get a post surgery massage from Claudia..wonderful person..

This is not your normal hospital. I have found all staff, from my personal surgeon (thank you Dr. Schneider), to all nurses, kitchen wait staff, and late night security guard to be all professional and accommodating, with a smile and best wishes for a speedy recovery. The food selection and variety have been a pleasant surprise as well. Granted, the steak is not the quality of a $50 steakhouse, but still a pleasant surprise. One night creme brulee for dessert. Wow, and the quality was outstanding. I still have not found a meal with Jello.

Recently visited Shouldice for an umbilical hernia repair. If you have a hernia come to Shouldice. I was fortunate enough to have Dr.Hall who is a very talented and just cool guy in general. He made me feel at ease as I was quite nervous being my first surgery. The care from the nurses (Bon, Alex, Mary Mel and I'm sure I missed others) was superb. And the food was unbelievable. The grounds are lovely for a walk and they teach you exercises to help get you back on your feet quickly.
They also try to avoid using mesh repair instead using suture which the body responds better to. And you'll meet others going through the same that also helps in sharing the experience.
Bottom line, Shouldice is where to go for a hernia and the model.

Had a hernia repair performed here. Was one of the best decisions I have made in regards to surgery. It is basically like a hospital spa.
Food is excellent, 5 star meals. Nurses and Doctors were amazing.
I don't ever want another hernia, but if I do get one I know exactly where I am going. 3 months post op feeling great and been back at the gym full time.

Shouldice hospital is exactly what it is said to be.world renowned!!!! I had my surgery just recently and from the minute I walked in the front doors I was met and treated absolute amazing. Every single staff I encountered from Shouldice was truly amazing!!!!!!! The surgeons are the best in the world for this and would trust them without a doubt to preform and perfect your surgery and to recover with the best results. The nurses that cared for me and the others that were there play a major part in your recovery and they are amazing thank you for everything

Had my hernia surgery here. I felt from the first consultation to the last day in good hands. The procedure was less painful than i had imagined and the staff was great at making me comfortable and keeping me informed. Food was great too for a hospital.

My hospitalization at Shouldice Hospital for a hernia operation was a pleasant surprise. All the staff, doctors, nurses, administrative, security and maintenance staff provided excellent services. I really appreciated the process related to the operation. The operation was quick, and the healing is going very well and progressing quickly.
We must not forget the excellence of the food and a good variety. The staff of the small café and the kitchen have also always provided cheerful and respectful service. Bravo to the food services. I highly recommend this Center of Excellence for hernia.

I attended this hospital as a walk in patient for an examination. There are only a limited number of walk ins allowed each day. Check their website for how many each day and be sure to arrive early. I arrived before 6 am to assure that I got in that day. Staff were excellent from the security guard to the Drs. and everyone in between. Facility was beautiful, clean and large. There is paid parking on site. I would suggest you register and fill out the online questionnaire beforehand to speed up your process. Thanks you to all!

Just home from my stay at Shouldice. My surgery was 2 days ago. Great place and I’m happy I chose to have my repair done here. Everything is explained to you along the way, there are always people to answer your questions. Well worth the stay, food was excellent and the care was equally exceptional. All the staff were polite and helpful. I read reviews and did research before booking here and I can’t make sense of the negative reviews I read. Maybe they had a negative experience. I can only speak to mine and it was first class! Thank you Shouldice and staff. I’m on the road to recovery!

Wow! Shouldice sets the standard for medical treatment. There is phenomenal attention to detail at every stage of the process. Communication with patients is spot on. Patient care and attention to patient needs is superb. Every aspect from pre-surgery care, to surgery, to post-surgery care, to meals is conducted like a well-oiled machine. Thank you to the physicians, the nurses, the floor staff, the dining room staff, the administration and everyone else for a fantastic experience.

I have had 3 hernia’s repaired in my life, so far, and the 3rd repair was performed by Shouldice. It was a hernia that was previously repaired but had failed. When I went for consultation, Dr Rosse told me to lose a little weight through help of the Shouldice dietitian which wasn’t a big deal.

I returned after the weight loss and had my surgery for which I was awake. I must admit I was a little nervous about being awake but I must admit, I would do it no other way. I believe that I may have recovered more quickly due to the fact that I did not have a general anesthetic.
After the surgery, I was up a couple hrs later and the next day I participated via video in some light stretching and bending. I also visited the in house massage therapist which I really liked.
The food was excellent as well as the entire nursing staff and a big shout out to Dr Rosse.

This place is the absolute best place for a hernia repair. Don’t go somewhere else. Get it done at Shouldice!!
I wish I could give 6 stars.

Michael Bergman

I had my hernia done last week and happy that I chose Shouldice. All the staff members were polite, attentive and professional providing the optimal conditions for full & fast recovery. Food is delicious, the facilities are clean and well maintained, the garden is gorgeous (how can you not heal with such a view?).
A big shout out to my surgeon, Dr. Hall for being patient and for making sure I understand the procedure and the recovery process.

Well I had surgery there 4 days ago and found out first hand why Shouldice Hospital is included in a top 10 list of best hospitals in the WORLD !
All staff are at the top of their game, give their full attention. Processes are fully refined, nothing left to chance. Everything is communicated to the patient clearly and reinforced.
Creature comforts are all there, be it lounges, recreation, beautiful park-like grounds, and outstanding dining experience.
When it comes to the professional doctors and nurses, you can feel their competent caring nature, (shout out to Surgeon Dr. Kouros Moozar)
It is setup conducive for patient interaction which in turn reduces anxiety as you share your experience. Having a roommate is positive in that regard.
Thank you again to everyone at Shouldice.
I know and appreciate that my long term surgical outcome will provide improved quality of life.
Sincerely
Matt Cook

I did a lot of research and traveled from outside Canada to go to Shouldice and I highly recommend it. The first day is a check-in and examination by the surgeon, which was relatively quick. Then you are taken to your room which you share with one other person. There are two floors with dedicated nurses on each floor. I questioned whether I needed to stay so long after surgery (check-in on a Wednesday for Thursday surgery and leave on Sunday), but it is so worth it.

Unlike most hospitals, this is all they do - hernia surgery. And all of the patients around you are all going through the same surgery. Every day in the morning, a surgeon checks on you along with nurses. This is so valuable to ensure no issues, to ask any questions and to discuss with other patients what is “normal” (or not normal) in terms of pain or swelling. The surgeon and operating staff were excellent and very comforting and the nurses were top notch.

The day of surgery, they deliver lunch and dinner to your room (excellent food) and also help you out of bed showing how to do it to minimize pain and supervise you on your first walk. They also help the following morning by helping you out of bed and taking you through some exercises.

This assistance and encouragement of mobility after surgery is so critical to a quicker recovery. I know if I was at home, I would be much more hesitant to walk around due to pain.

The other patients were great company as we chatted, played cards or watched hockey and ate home-cooked meals in the cafeteria.

You are served 3 meals plus an evening snack and have access to coffee, tea and juice at any time. They ask on the first day about any allergies or just preferences and they are quick to accommodate: vegetarian, no fish, no red meat, non-spicy… anything. They are great.

I’m now 8-weeks post-op and I’m back to working out, jogging and all the exercises I did pre-op. I’m still only using lighter weights to be safe but there is zero pain in the area.

I highly recommend and I’m very glad I chose Shouldice for their surgery expertise and very caring staff.

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I wanted to share an update - it’s now been 8 months since my surgery and after a very careful first 12-weeks (just being sensible - lots of walking and stretching and light working out, but nothing that would cause undue stress), I’ve been back to my normal workout routine of running, biking, squats, leg presses, hack-squats and much more. Everything remains exceptional and I further validate my original 5-star review.

If you are given the choice, go to Shouldice for your hernia repair. I've been to many public hospitals for various surgeries, but I've never been to a private one before. My experience at Shouldice was very positive. While, the premises are a bit old fashion, they are quaint, quiet and exceptionally clean. But above everything else, it's the staff that makes the difference: administrative folks, nurses, cafeteria, massage therapist, technicians, surgeons... all of them are heartwarmingly humane and accommodating! For hospital food, you can hardly get better (I have food restrictions and they arranged special meals around them). As for the surgery, this too was also a very nice experience: the surgery rooms are state of the art (bring warm socks, it's bloody cold) and the staff is welcoming, I felt very safe. Moreover, not being kicked to the curb on the day of the surgery is a nice change of pace, and it gives you time to find your feet before you go home, which is nice.

This is an incredible Hospital. Patients are treated with the utmost respect from everyone and it's clean. This was my second Hernia surgery but the first one at Shouldice. The pain was minimal and recovery was much quicker than my first non Shouldice surgery.
One word of advice make sure you bring your prescription drug bottles. They will not admit you if you don't have them. If you forget them you will have to go back home to get them or they write you a prescription and have you go to the nearest pharmacy.

Second time here (last time other side in 2006)
Excellent surgery and staff. Great meals (except lunch on Thursday, March 28th, turkey slice tough, carrots not cooked quite enough as almost raw). 🙂

Outstanding Hospital. I can't say enough about the staff and surgeons. From check-in (Dec 13th) to check out (Dec 17th) the entire procedure was extremely smooth. I met with my surgeon Dr. Simmons the evening before my surgery, and he went over the details. Dinner that night was first class, enjoyed the company of others who were recovering from their surgeries, so it was good to hear first hand what to expect. After my surgery I was taken to my room for 4 hours before the nurse came and got me up walking, they encourage it..just a small walk, then I made a point of walking about 5 mins an hour. Everyone experiences different levels of pain, but taking the meds certainly help..I recommend not trying to be a hero..take the meds. The following two days I was checked in the morning by the Doctors, I was up walking throughout the hospital, even venturing outside on my last day. The meals were excellent, we joked many times that we felt we were on a cruise ship..The shared room was very comfortable...and the nurses were great, very friendly, always making sure I was doing well. On the morning of checking out I was checked by the Doctor, and given the okay. I travelled from Vancouver for surgery because I did not want the mesh..and it was well worth the trip. 5 stars to Shouldice!